Baking through the pandemic

We are living through some very interesting and difficult times. 

When I was growing up as a child I lived through practicing for nuclear war. We learned to walk in gas mask, raincoat, and plastic bags on our hands and feet to be protected from nuclear fallout. 

Then I lived through the fall of Berlin Wall and Velvet Revolution. I saw the world open up and be free.

Now I live through the world pandemic. I hope that we will make it through alive and healthy.

My work is non essential and I am staying home until my work reopen at some point in the future. 

As a way to keep myself busy with other things than house choirs, cleaning, doing laundry, and to provide food for my family I bake. I have been baking a lot these past weeks and I have sneaked in some pictures of my baking attempts.

Oreo cookie

Some were successful, and some were less. As the weeks go by, I keep trying new things, new recipes, things that takes days from start to finish. In a way it is like knitting. You start with the simple projects, and as you learn you try more adventurous knitting techniques. Sometimes you still return to those familiar projects that are fast, quick, and favorites. Sometimes you try something new.

Week I

Week II

Week III

Week IV

Week V

Pictured 

Week I: Monkey Bread, Bread, Chocolate Banana Walnut Cookies, Bundt Cake, Calzones, Blueberry Muffins

Week II: Blueberry-lemon Bread, Rohliky (Czech Bread Rolls), Herb Cheddar Scones, Strudel with cheese filling, Corn Bread, Bread, Brownies, Apple Strudel

Week III: Apple Strudel, Carrot Cake, Potato Pancakes, Cinnamon Buns with Maple Frosting, Bread, My mom's Crepes, Bread

Week IV: My mom's Crepes, Kale Corn and Jalapeno Muffins, Brownies, Focaccia, Bread, Croutons 

Week V: Linzer Cookies, Dog's Cookies, Leaf Shaped Fougasse Bread, Rohliky (Czech Bread Rolls), Bread, Ginger Bread (my mom's recipe), Two Layers Pizza, Panna Cotta, Future Croissants (dough after the third roll and fold)

Croissants - the beginning

 I have a book "Baking with Julia" written by Dorie Greenspan. Sometimes I look through it and one of the recipes that always caught my eye was the recipe for the Croissants. I have read the recipe so many times, yet I never tried to bake them. It is time consuming and previously my weekends were filled with choirs, housework, laundry, while trying to squeeze in some fun and relaxing stuff as well. This past weekend I finally decide to try and bake the croissants from scratch.

Croissants - WIP

I started on Saturday when I made the dough. Sunday morning I made the butter part and then spend the day rolling and folding the dough and butter together. This morning I rolled out the dough and made the croissants and baked them. I still have the second half of the dough to work on. I have to admit, the croissants turned out good. Would I bake them again? I am not sure. It was a lot of work, and like with knitting, sometimes it's good just to try something new.  

Croissants 

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